Our Dear Friend.

Hello everyone,We have had lovely sunshine today and I have been to my weekly sewing class group.We were talking about how long our group, The Cotton Club  has been together and meeting each week and how we have become such great  friends over the 8 and 1/2 yrs together. I am very grateful to have such lovely loyal friends who care.
This brings me to remember one dear friend from our group Judith who passed on to God above.Her Husband brought in her fabrics to us at class and we all decided to make 2 blocks each for a quilt which we made and returned it to her husband for her family to cherish.

Judith's Quilt.
 The photo is not very clear it is taken by phone. It is a lovely quilt.

My sewing room door sign.

The first day the sun has been out for a week.The gum trees in the bush over the road from my front door look so lovely and green they glisten in the sunshine.
I do not make many bags very often and this one I have not long finished to give away.

A nearly finished UFO!

Hello! Welcome.
I  tried in this Quilt to sew blocks that I haven't done before and was very pleased with myself  by doing this. Something different out of my comfort zone.

I have finally decided to apply myself to get finished a UFO that has been sitting on the end of my sewing table for a couple of months.


Happy to say the top is finished and pinned ready for quilting .In the next week I am aiming for this.
Happy days,  Jen.

An idea for my Bobbins.

Hello,  I can't remember where the idea originally came from. It works really well keeping my filled bobbins tidy with no unravelled threads getting in a tangle.

I use clear soft tubing from the hardware store  (clear so as to see through to the colour cotton on the bobbin) 5/8" inch in diameter.  With the scissors I cut a few pieces 1/4" off  the tubing and store .Put a cut in each piece to be able to open around the bobbin keeping the loose end tidy .  Jen.

My Weekend.

This past weekend was spent with me and my sewing machine making more progress on the Christmas in July Swap. I have 2 more weeks to get it finished.
Currently I am quilting this project and I am going to embelish it ,then the binding.I think I should make the deadline for mailing.
I have never participated in a swap before (my very first) and is a wonderful feeling to have a swap partner to communicate with.

Soon I will show the finished project.   Jen.

A Civil War Quilt.

A lovely sunny winter day  and I made some more progress today on my blocks for a Civil War quilt that was made in 1863 by Jane A Stickle. from Shaftsbury,Vermont.
I have the book Dear Jane. The book contains 225 patterns from the 1863 Jane A Stickle Quilt 80-1/4" -80-1/4". 5,602 pieces.
I am doing as much hand piecing as possible on my quilt
Each block pattern contains its own drafted pattern pieces. First I trace on to freezer paper then iron the freezer paper on to the template adding a 1/4" seam .My template is fine sandpaper so it doesn't move when I trace onto fabric ready to  cut. I hand sew with my needle taking 2 running stitches and 1 backstitch.

From the book above I can draft what block patterns I choose for my quilt and how many I would like to do.Ruler templates for the quilt squares and isosceles triangles for the border came with the book.

Choosing from the book that way I can create my own Baby Jane quilt hand piecing and needle turning my own replicia  of a Civil War Quilt 1863.

I"m not sure what the finished size will be, but I guess it will take 1-2yrs  to complete a number of these tiny blocks for my quilt.
I am happy today that I have made some more progress towards this .
Jen

On Returning Home.

On returning home from our short break of 1 week, in my front garden my New Zealand Christmas bush has started to flower, even though it is winter and has been very cold we have had sunny days.When summer arrives it becomes a mass of bright red flowers. The leaves are evergreen and feel leathery.

Also my Grass Tree which is indigenous to Australia produces sporadically a flower spike resembling a spear. Their natural habitat is in the Australian bush with a lifespan of 600yrs! When we get them from the nursery they are registered with a stamped number as you can be fined for taking them from the bush.
The above photo is a grouping of Grass trees in their natural bush habitat.
 
Well must get myself to bed as I am aiming for a big sewing day tomorrow  to work on a small quilt I am doing for a swap project. Goodnight Jen.

My short break.

Hello! I had no internet on my short break away for 7 days, visiting 5 of my precious grandchildren.I must say they did keep us very busy .
On saying this prompts me to post some photos of my then 11yr grandaughter's first quilt she made last year during her visit to me in the school holidays.

                                                   
                                                     Very proud of herself  here.


                                                     I thought she was very clever with her
                                                     cutting out and applique.

                                                   

                                                     Her fabric choices and colours she chose herself.

I love my Block Book

HI!  Today here is very cold and raining so I have been keeping warm by sewing my flannelette quilt top together.It felt so soft and warm.

I am putting up some photos of my quilt block book I made to carry and keep some of my blocks in as I sew them for any project I am working on at that time.

The size I chose for my book when opened is 31"-17"inches  and when closed 17"-17"inches.
The pages are made with felt so my squares stay put in it . The felt pages are just slightley smaller than the book cover.

The cover for my book is a large square block I had made and not used plus fabric from my stash for border,backing and binding plus left over wadding.

Any spare blocks can be used,oversized can be trimmed,smaller ones stitched together or just your chosen fabric plus wadding ,backing and binding. Then you have a book.

Make your quilt book by placing  the measured felt pages on the opened out book cover and fold in half.

Sew through all thicknesses  1/2"inch in on the left hand side edge of the book so the felt pages stay in place.

I love my book and use it all the time taking it to class. Keeps my blocks tidy and flat and can always find them.

I hope my book was of some interest for you.
 Till next time  Jen,